Lost and Found
by Chatterbox Angel
Summary: Sequel to Moving - What happened after Kaito moved away?  Did Kaito and Shinichi remain the best of friends?  What happened as they grew up?  All those questions and more will be answered.  KaiShin - Slight AU
1. Chapter 1

Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito or any of the characters in either of those series. All rights reserved to Goshou Aoyama. The only thing I own is the plot of this fanfiction and any original characters that just might happen to worm their way in here.

Note: This is a slightly AU fanfiction in the fact that Kaito and Shinichi were best friends when they were younger. For more full details, read my fanfiction entitled Moving.

Chapter 1

The first weekend after Kaito had moved away, Shinichi had begged his mother to take him to visit his best friend, but she had refused. Both she and Yuusaku had a benefit to attend, so they were too busy to take him. Undeterred, Shinichi had continued his tearful pleading the next week until he'd extracted a promise from Yukiko to take him over on the following Sunday. But then, she'd been contacted by an old friend from the film industry, and since she had been unable to refuse an invitation from said friend, Shinichi's trip to see his friend had to be postponed again.

And so it went, Shinichi continued to beg his parents to take him, but they were always too busy for some reason or another. The weeks turned to months, and it had been so long since he'd seen his almost twin that young little Shinichi could no longer remember exactly who he wanted to see and why he wanted to see them. But something in him still compelled the young boy to ask, the feeling that there was something missing in his life.

But then he had met Ran Mouri, and their friendship had taken off like a rocket. Within a few days, Shinichi had a new best friend, one who he saw and played with every day during the week. Slowly but surely, he stopped asking so ardently to visit that one friend and started hanging out with Ran by default. Eventually, the young boy forgot to ask for a ride to visit his other friend at all. It was just understood that Shinichi and Ran would get together to play, and the two children would get up to whatever trouble Shinichi drew them into.

As time passed, Shinichi became numb to the feeling that there was something missing in his life until one certain Saturday. He had woken up early that morning because nature waits for no one and after doing his business, Shinichi had stared at himself sleepily in the mirror. He was just standing there, waiting for his body to wake up, when that feeling returned. He vaguely remembered that there was someone other than Ran who he wanted to see, someone he had known before she came into his life, someone who had maybe been his friend.

All of a sudden, he wanted to see this person more than anything, and luck was with him that morning. Yukiko had been complaining earlier in the week that there was nothing for her to do that weekend, and he'd never made any official plans with Ran. Surely, this would be the perfect time for his mother to take him to see that person.

Armed with those thoughts, Shinichi had approached his mother and asked, "Kaa-san, can you drive me to my friend's house since you're not busy?"

"Oh, there's no need for that Shin-chan," his mother had told him with a smile. "Eri called and said she'd bring Ran-chan over after they were done with family brunch. Don't worry, she'll be here by noon."

"But," Shinichi started, not sure how to ask to go see someone he couldn't remember.

"Now, now, Shin-chan," Yukiko chided gently. "We can't interrupt their family time. I know how much you like her, but you'll just have to patient." He opened his mouth again to try to explain, but his mother just shook her head. Knowing there was nothing else to be done, Shinichi averted his gaze and quietly walked away.

But when he was out of the room, the young boy began to run as fast as his little legs could take him across the mansion, up the stairs, and to his bedroom. Once there, Shinichi threw himself onto his bed and cried into his pillow. He sobbed as his heart ached with the loss he couldn't understand caused by the person he couldn't remember. From that day onward, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember the person he had forgotten, but he never forgot the day he remembered. And eventually, Shinichi learned to live with the dull ache of loss in his heart. Every once in a while, it would throb painfully, but he got used to that too.

He grew up to become a famous high school detective like he had always dreamed, and he greatly enjoyed the spotlight that came with being known as the "Savior of the Japanese Police Force". But despite the hundreds (maybe thousands) of fan letters and Ran's obvious feeling for him, Shinichi couldn't bring himself to choose a significant other. That dull ache of loss scared him from letting anyone get too close. He didn't want to lose anyone again, so he covered it up with a mask of ignorance and innocent obliviousness. The arrogance tempered by kindness, the genius-enhanced recklessness, all that was real. But he wasn't so blind to romantic intentions as he pretended.

And then, the Conan thing had happened. His simple mask had instantly become increasingly complex, and he lost his dream, had to give up the spotlight to Ran's useless father. But lucky him, the dull ache remained. It seemed that no matter what happened in his life, no matter how much everything changed, he could count on those feelings of loss caused by a person whose he couldn't even begin to picture to stick with him.

As Conan, he continued his work to put as many murderers behind bars as he possibly could while doing his best to fight the large, evil crime syndicate that had returned him to the body of a child. And it was during that time, the one time in his life that he was so overwhelmed that he managed to forget the dull ache every once in a great while, he finally encountered the one person that lessened the feelings of loss. It was a time he least expected it, on the rooftop of the Hyde City Hotel on that chilly, fateful April Fool's night. The first time he had seen the thief in white with that fearless smile o his face, Conan had felt that constant dull ache of loss twinge with a very small strum of relief.

He hadn't noticed it at first, so caught up the chase, but when he had returned home in the very early morning after the confrontation had ended, Conan had recognized the relief for what it was. Unfortunately, it did not last long, because he was no closer to finding that person. After all, he had no idea Kid's true identity, nor did he have any way to figure it out.

Well, Conan did have one idea on how he might find the thief, but it didn't pan out. After meeting the thief, he recalled that the person he was missing had once been his friend, which meant his mother had probably taken pictures of them together. If nothing else, the pictures would give him a face and at least, a first name. True, he could have asked his mother, but after years of dealing with her insanity, he really didn't want to go down that road.

It had never occurred to him in his first childhood to look for such pictures, but now, it did. So at the first opportunity, Conan had snuck away to the Kudo mansion and looked through every single photo album he could find. But even though he found pictures that were catastrophically embarrassing, mentally scarring, and everything in between, there was not a single picture of him with any friends before he'd met Ran. And although that didn't make sense with his mother's tendency to document every second of his life that she could, he'd been forced to accept that pictures of him and his friend did not exist. To find the thief, he must catch the thief.

Thus, the rivalry between a shrunken high school detective and mysterious moonlight thief began.

Through their meetings, Conan slowly realized that entangling himself in the thief's heist gave him more than a chance to finally be free from the dull, throbbing ache of loss. It also granted him a chance for the thrill of a chase and a challenge with a mind as intelligent as his free from the looming darkness of death – Kid gave Conan these gifts, never knowing how important they were to the bespectacled boy.

At the vast majority of their meetings, he didn't have to worry about murder victims, and

every time they met, for that short time, Conan's heart was offered that small dose of relief. Whenever the thief and detective engaged in their usual banter, that wall that kept the small boy from ever letting get truly close to him felt like it disappeared. And for that reason, more than any other, the shrunken detective was determined to catch the thief, to obtain what both thief and detective highly valued: freedom.

A/N: So, I really need to learn how to write one-shots. But no, once again what I planned to be a one-shot has turned into a multi-chaptered fanfic. Yes, I wrote at the end of Moving that the sequel could be pretty much anything, but my first plan was a one-shot. Well, my imagination once again ran away to go on a long, crazy adventure.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will read the next one whenever I get the magical time to write it. And sorry about the short length, but this chapter was mostly set-up. And as always…

I love reviewers, but I do have a request. I would really love for someone to seriously critique my work. It doesn't have to stop at constructive criticism. I'd love for someone to really pick apart my work and tell me every little thing they hated, what needs to be improved, and what parts of my writing they liked best. Believe me when I say I love all reviews, and it's really nice to know people appreciate my work. However, I'm a far cry from being perfect, and there's always room to improve. Also, if I can get better, I can give better fan fiction to my readers. Anyway, thanks again for reading this fan fiction and hopefully you seriously considered my request.


	2. Chapter 2

Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito or any of the characters in either of those series. All rights reserved to Goshou Aoyama. The only thing I own is the plot of this fanfiction and any original characters that just might happen to worm their way in here.

Note: This is a slightly AU fanfiction in the fact that Kaito and Shinichi were best friends when they were younger. For more full details, read my fanfiction entitled Moving.

Chapter 2

If there was one thing Kaito Kuroba prided himself on, other than his skills as a magician, it was his superb memory. He could recall every moment in his life with great clarity, even those things he wished he could eternally forget. It was both a blessing and a curse, but his memory was second to none. So, the first night he met a certain detective the phantom thief had been thrown for a major loop.

Atop the Hyde City Hotely in the guise of Kaitou Kid, Kaito Kuroba had never expected to meet Conan Edogawa, a child detective who was a carbon copy of his childhood friend, with the addition of a large pair of glasses, Shinichi Kudo. Surprised and shocked as he was, Kid only acted as he should: overly confident and mildly interested in his new potential rival. After a flawless, perfectly planned escape, Kaito had returned home to do a great deal of thinking. Some of it was reminiscing about his childhood; most of it was comparison and analysis.

After his first encounter with Conan, Kaito's mind couldn't help but conjure up memories of his childhood with Shinichi: how close they were, how often the had played together, how much his friend had cried when Kaito's family had moved away. To this day, the young magician was still unsure as to exactly why their friendship had ended so abruptly. Back then, Shinichi had been his most important person and, as embarrassing as it was to admit, his first love. Kaito's six-year-old self had always thought they would be together forever, but some twist of fate had torn that hope to shreds and buried it deep underground.

For the first month or so after moving, Kaito hadn't felt Shinichi's absence in his life too much. After all, there was so much unpacking to do and so many new places to explore. As a naturally curious child, Kaito had been out of his mind with excitement. But when he stared craving someone to share all his new discoveries with, the young boy suddenly realized that Shinichi hadn't visited once since the move.

His first thought was to wonder whether the other boy was mad at him or upset with him for some reason. And always one to do things himself, even as a child, Kaito had written a letter to Shinichi and mailed it off, hoping for a quick response. Several letters, six months, and no return note later, Kaito had assumed that Shinichi wanted nothing to do with him and stopped trying to reach him. The young magician never thought to ask his own parents for a ride, to make a call, or even for a bit of advice. Like many children, he thought he knew best, and he didn't want to bother with anyone who seemed to hate him so much. So, he had made new friends and moved on with his life.

The next time he had met Shinichi, it was as thief vs detective. The clock tower heist had been the most thrilling yet, and he hadn't been sure whether to be pleased that he finally had a decent rival or annoyed that Shinichi was intruding on his life after ten years of pretending Kaito didn't exist. Granted, Shinichi didn't know that Kaito was Kaitou Kid, but the magician thief felt like he was entitled to his conflicted feelings, especially with the little voice in the back of his head congratulating Shinichi on accomplishing his childhood dream of becoming a detective. He had, after all, noticed his old friend's names in the newspapers.

Disappointed was the feeling he eventually decided on where Shinichi Kudo was concerned. After that single thrilling heist, Shinichi had never shown his face at another one. The next few heists following the clock tower one, Kaito had hoped the detective would show, but when he hadn't, it left the white-clad thief with nothing but an aftertaste of disappointment.

Eventually, Kaito felt compelled to do a bit of research and discovered that Shinichi hadn't just disappeared from his heists but from all manner of media attention. Feeling that something was wrong, he had paid a quick trip to the Kudo mansion, only to find it deserted and entirely devoid of life. That had worried him immensely, but there really was nothing he could do. Though he may be an internationally acclaimed thief, Kaito's time and resources were far more limited than he would have liked. His night job had to come first, and forced to put curiosity of a long lost friend on the backburner, he had to accept Shinichi's second disappearance from his life.

But then, Kaitou Kid met Conan Edogawa a few months later. He was obviously a child but didn't really act like one. He was intelligent, but was more than just your average smart kid. He didn't merely know mountains of useless information; the kid had quite the calculating mind. Kid could see it in his eyes. And more than that, Conan looked exactly like a young Shinichi. The miniature detective was a giant ball of mysteries, and in this instance, Kaito hated mysteries.

Through their encounters, Kaito learned that Conan was just as, if not more, intelligent as he initially seemed and had some weird connection to Shinichi, who was apparently alive after all. After a quick bit of research (eavesdropping), Kaito had discovered that the two were distant relatives, and the eerie resemblance was just an odd chance stemming from their shared gene pools. Once he learned that, Kaito stopped digging because he was content with that information.

He had lost Shinichi as a rival but gained Conan, and the spirited little detective made a wonderful partner in his games. The intelligent, calculative mind beyond its years was obviously an influence of the high school detective, and that was all the explanation Kaito needed. Little details didn't matter. Their game of chase was more than enough until one night when a certain Kaitou Kid heist went extremely awry.

After two years of playing chase with the child detective, his good luck at the heists Conan attended ran out, and his no one gets hurt rule was broken.

It had started as all heists do: a great deal of pre-heist chaos caused by the police, a startling and instantaneous appearance made by Kaitou Kid, the subsequent theft and customary dog-pile on the bandit routine, Kid pranked a few officers, many fell into his traps, and his wonderful Tantei-kun had avoided it all to ensue on their traditional chase to the roof. Kid reached it first, of course, and stealthily slipped out, hiding in wait for the future battle of wits.

Mere moments later, the door slammed open to reveal a panting Conan Edogawa who had a serious expression and surveying eyes. Kid remained still for a few moments to observe his prey, and in those few seconds, everything went to hell in a handbasket.

A shot rang out in the darkness, and Kid watched in horror as the child dropped to the floor like a rag doll. Panicked, he jumped out of his hiding space and raced to where the little detective lay. The first thing he saw was blood, but he didn't have time to contemplate that as he grabbed the child and dashed toward cover once more. All the while, bullets were still being fired.

Once safe under cover, Kid focused his full attention on the child in his arms and let out an uncharacteristic wail at the sight of blood staining his bright white suit a dark crimson. Without thinking about it, one of his hands reached for the portable first aid kit he always carried while he prayed the wound wasn't fatal. As he moved the body into a better position for examination, Conan let out a loud groan, and relief flooded through the thief's veins. If his little detective was still conscious, the wound couldn't be as bad as Kaito had feared.

"Tantei-kun?" he said in an inquiring tone as he observed that the blood was all coming from a ghastly gash in the child's shoulder. Ripping the left sleeve and some surrounding fabric off the shirt to give him better access, Kid instantly began emergency treatment on the wound.

"I suppose this is what I get for letting my guard down at your heists," Conan said as he winced in pain. "I thought it was safe here. Although, I can't think of why _they_ would be here. Nothing connects your heists to Shinichi Kudo."

"Other than you," Kid replied offhandedly, focusing most of his attention on the wound. "And the fact that your fellow detective showed up to one of my heists in the past. More importantly, you broke my rule Tantei-kun. No one is supposed to get hurt. It is supposed to be safe for you."

"My connection with Shinichi-nii-chan isn't publicly know," Conan replied with a sigh. "And he was at only one heist over two years ago, hardly a lead worth pursuing. As for me getting hurt, I'm just glad that the bullet missed its mark and this time, I'm actually getting proper treatment promptly."

Kid frowned when he heard that. He finished treating the wound and looked Conan straight in the eyes for the first time that night. In those eyes were pain, intelligence, and understanding that shouldn't exist in regards to any eight-year-old child, no matter what relationship he had with a genius high school detective. Conan was far smarter than Kid had ever realized. And in the moment of realization, many others came to him, causing a deep frown to mar his face. This was not the first time Conan had been shot at with a real gun. Nor was it the first time someone had successfully hit him. And the child before him was not alive because Snake's aim was off.

"How did you dodge the bullet when you couldn't see the angle of the gun to read the path of said bullet?" Kid asked in a serious tone never afore heard at heists. He knew Conan could dodge his card gun because he gave the kid ample physical clues and time. That wasn't the case here. "Hell, how would you have even known there was a gun?"

"I'm rather in tune to sensing the intentions of people with a rather dark and dubious fashion sense," Conan replied. "And I noticed an unnatural shadow on the roof across the street while looking for you." Kid knew he was being vague on purpose, but those words were all the information the thief needed to know exactly who the miniature detective was talking about.

"I'm not sure how I feel about your 'Shinichi-nii-chan' for bringing you into that, but I do know he sure as hell shouldn't have," Kid said, mentally berating his childhood friend for being so damn stupid where this child was concerned while simultaneously pondering the implication of said child's actions and words. No matter how aware of the situation he was, an eight-year-old really shouldn't have the intuition to sense murderous intent that Conan obviously possessed.

"Believe me, Shinichi-nii-chan…" Conan practically spit out the word, and Kid was extremely surprised to hear so much venom attached to the high school detective's name. "…didn't have a choice in the matter. Neither did I."

It sounded like he was about to say more, but they were brought back to reality by the sounds of pounding footsteps and shouts coming from the Task Force who, apparently, were finally free to pursue the phantom thief once more. Sighing, Kid decided that tonight called for a silent escape. So, he changed into a dark, nondescript disguise, gently picked up Conan, and left the building via the fire escape. And if the little detective had any complaints or reservations, he didn't voice any of them.

Sometime later, Kaitou Kid had returned Conan Edogawa to his room at the Mouri residence via a window after learning the child had snuck out to attend his heist. The thief was torn halfway between feeling flattered and regretful at that knowledge. He was happy to have the detective so drawn to his heists, but he truly abhorred the fact that Conan had been hurt.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Tantei-kun," Kid promised as he perched on the windowsill getting ready to leave. "We have a lot to talk about. And just so you know, you weren't the one _they_ were truly aiming for tonight."

With that said, he slid out the window and began making his way home. He never saw the shifting expressions on Conan's face: startled to considering to calculating. And he never heard the softly whispered good-bye. But even had he stayed, Kid might not have noticed anyway, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

The mysteries surrounding Conan Edogawa were something his mind had put to rest a long time ago, but now, they were exploding in his thoughts. Every little thing he had ever noticed was now clamoring to be the thing that held his main focus, each little oddity providing his mind with specific examples of times when it had showcased itself in the little detective's behavior. These thoughts followed him all the way home and to bed, making sure that he was lying awake for hours in contemplation.

What was Conan's true connection to high school detective Shinichi Kudo? How did the child really get to be so smart? Why was an eight-year-old not only aware of but being threatened by the Black Organization? And now that Kaito noticed that Shinichi Kudo really was never around, where had Conan learned to notice clues, deduce schemes, and solve mysteries? What was Conan really like behind that carefully constructed yet often partially cracked mask? And how did he get those eyes? Those horribly expressive and intelligent eyes.

But of all these questions, one truly remained most forefront in his mind. It was the last thing he thought before he fell asleep.

'_Who are you really Tantei-kun?_

A/N: Hello and welcome to the end of the second chapter of Lost and Found. I hope you enjoyed it. As I'm sure you very well noticed, this chapter was in Kaito's point of view. And surprise! Next chapter will be in Conan's point of view again. Will this little pattern continue throughout the entire fanfiction? The answer is that Chatterbox Angel really doesn't know. She tries her best to plan things out, but if you have read some of her earlier fanfictions, you know that things barely ever go according to her plans.

Anyway, I don't know if any of you wonderful readers are planning on going to North America's biggest anime convention this year of 2012 (also known as Anime Expo), but I will be there. And I will be there from Day 0 – Day 4. So, if any of you wanted to, I don't know, meet me, that would be the place to do it. I would tell you what I will be cosplaying each day to make it possible for you to find me, but I really haven't decided on those details yet. When I do, they will be posted on my profile. You can also PM for the very few decisions I have made thus far if that tickles your fancy.

I'm just throwing it out there, because one of the things that inspires me most to keep writing is physically seeing the people who enjoy my writing. Seriously, you can thank my newest friend from college for the first two chapters of Lost and Found. She read Moving and really, really wanted more, which made me really, really want to write it. So, I did. Good-bye sleep. Who cares about homework? Let's write fanfiction! Oh the beautiful rambling…anyway…

I love reviewers, but I do have a request. I would really love for someone to seriously critique my work. It doesn't have to stop at constructive criticism. I'd love for someone to really pick apart my work and tell me every little thing they hated, what needs to be improved, and what parts of my writing they liked best. Believe me when I say I love all reviews, and it's really nice to know people appreciate my work. However, I'm a far cry from being perfect, and there's always room to improve. Also, if I can get better, I can give better fan fiction to my readers. Anyway, thanks again for reading this fan fiction and hopefully you seriously considered my request.


	3. Chapter 3

Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito or any of the characters in either of those series. All rights reserved to Goshou Aoyama. The only thing I own is the plot of this fanfiction and any original characters that just might happen to worm their way in here.

Note: This is a slightly AU fanfiction in the fact that Kaito and Shinichi were best friends when they were younger. For more full details, read my fanfiction entitled Moving.

Chapter 3

Morning came far too soon for Conan's liking as Ran had to shake him awake for the first time in a long while. As she jerked his small body back and forth, the miniature detective had to hold back several winces but couldn't stop the groans of pain from escaping his mouth. Luckily, Ran just thought they were the protests to being woken up typical of any little kid. Doing his best to drag himself out of bed, Conan slowly got up enough so that Ran was comfortable with the knowledge that he wouldn't just fall back to sleep.

As he changed very slowly, Conan did his best to not cause any unnecessary strain to his injury. It hurt like hell, and his body felt like it had been run over by a truck. But he didn't want to have to explain the injury to Ran when that would mean admitting to having been at the Kid heist the previous night. Plus, knowing her, she would probably term Kid heists a place too dangerous for little Conan and forbid him from going ever again. Besides, he had complete faith in the phantom thief's ability to tend to wounds properly, so he had no need to go to the hospital.

With all that, Conan didn't have any real reason to tell Ran he was hurt, except maybe that he needed to rest and without a valid reason not to, he had to go to school. And for once, the miniature detective was actually admitting to himself that he needed that rest. He was in so much pain that he was fighting off tears with all his might so that Ran wouldn't notice anything when he came downstairs for breakfast. However, he didn't succeed in acting normal as his caretaker gasped in surprise the second saw him in a room with descent lighting

"Oh my god!" Ran cried out as she dropped what she was doing and raced over to him. "Conan, you look like death was just warmed over. What happened to you?"

"I don't feel so good Ran-nee-chan," Conan groaned out as he fell forward into her arms.

"I can see that," she replied picking him up and feeling his forehead. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Didn't want to worry you," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, and he could feel her gaze softening at his words. Like any time he said something she perceived as really sweet, Ran instantly became about a hundred times sweeter.

"Well, this really couldn't have come at a worse time," Ran said as she moved to place Conan down and grab some medicine. "Tou-san's off on a case for the next few days and won't be coming home until late. He just got the call this morning. He won't be able to care for a sick child properly if he isn't home during the day. And I have the trip with my club. I suppose I'll have to cancel it."

"But you were looking forward to that trip so much," the bespectacled boy protested. "I don't want to keep you from going."

"It's not your fault that you got sick," Ran said comfortingly. "Don't worry you're more important to me than some trip. Wait here while I go call the teacher." With that said, she left Conan alone in the room, worrying about how the hell he was going to hide the fact the he'd been shot from Ran. In mother hen mode, she noticed so damn much, so Conan knew he wouldn't be able to hide the truth from her for long. He was already dreading the inevitable moment when she found out.

As he lie there in pain with worried thoughts swiriling around his head, it felt like an eternity passed by. When he looked at the clock, the shrunken detective noticed that half an hour had passed since Ran had left, and that was beyond odd. He was sure she would have been back with the medicine already. The call really shouldn't be taking so long, but just as he was starting to get worried about her, the door opened to reveal a sheepish-looking Ran.

"Ano, Conan-kun," she said fidgeting a bit. "The choice is entirely yours, but an alternative option to my staying home with you. Dr. Agasa said he could take care of you for a few days so that I could still go on my trip."

"I wanna go! I wanna go to the professor's house!" Conan cheered as best he could from the bed. "I'll get to play video games!"

Ran couldn't help but smile at his childish excitement. Even when they were sick, they were only really concerned with having fun. At least, that's the impression Conan was trying to leave on her. He really wasn't the best actor, but he pouted and whined enough to keep her suspicions about Shinichi at bay. Either way, his entire being was being flooded with relief.

Spending the next few days at Agasa's house would solve many problems about his current situation. For one, he would get his much needed rest without the strain of worrying about what would happen when Ran found out that he injured. Nor would he have to expend extra energy to hide said injury. Furthermore, he was sure would Haibara to take care of him. Granted, she would be far from pleased to find out he had yet another wound that needed treatment. But for all the complaints she was sure to voice, Ai would still make sure he recovered fully from his gunshot wound.

So, it was with a great deal of relief pounding through his veins that Conan managed to drag himself out of bed and pack a duffel bag for his stay at Agasa's. Ran helped him, of course, and then carried both him and his bag out the door. He wasn't sure how far she was planning on carrying him, but the didn't get much farther than a few steps out the front door, because there on the street, right in front of the detective agency, a bright yellow Beetle sat next to the curb, an overweight, half-bald man with a smile and little brown-haired girl with a slight scowl stood by it.

"Dr Agasa!" Ran exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? I was going to drop him off at your house on my way to Teitan High."

"No need for that now. I was mostly sure Conan-kun would be okay with staying at my house for a few days," Agasa replied. "And Ai-kun, here, was really worried about him. So, I decided to just drive over here. That way, she could at least see him."

"Were you really that concerned for Conan-kun?" Ran asked, turning her attention to the young girl. Said girl nodded, and Ran smiled even more. "That's really sweet of you Ai-chan. Why don't I just get Conan-kun all set up in the car, hmm?"

"Sounds good," Agasa answered.

After an excessive amount of fussing, Ran was content in knowing that her young charge was more than comfortable. Agasa and Ai sat in the front while the bespectacled boy was situated in the back. Conan waved good-bye to Ran through the window as the car drove away, and he braced himself for the questions that were sure to come. Tense silence hung in the air for mere seconds, but seeming like several hours, before the shrunken scientist turned around in her seat and stared at him with slightly accusing eyes.

"I know you know I know that you don't have a cold," she said in that cold, calculating voice of hers. "So, what really is wrong with you? It's sure to be pretty bad if the pain is this visible on someone as bad as you."

"I got shot at the Kid hest," Conan replied, not surprised at the alarm that exploded onto Ai's expression. "The shooters weren't actually aiming at me, and it's just a flesh wound. Kid bandaged me up right away, but I still lost a lot of blood."

"The situations you get yourself into Kudo-kun," Ai said sighing as she shook her head. "As soon as we get back to the house, I'm going to have to…"

Only, Conan never heard what she needed to do, because he had drifted off into a deep sleep. When he next awoke, the shrunken detective was still in a world of hurt, but he felt a bit better. Ai had probably given him some painkillers. He opened his eyes to darkness but recognized the familiar shadows of Ai's lab, which would explain the fact that he was lying on a relatively stiff mattress now that he thought about it. Well, she probably had her reasons for placing him there, but his body was rather stiff now. So, he slowly tried to sit up.

"You shouldn't be moving around yet," Ai's voice rang out, coming from the corner. "You need you rest. That wound isn't going to heal itself if you don't let it."

"Sure, sure," Conan replied waving her comments off, but he did lay back down while maneuvering just a bit into a more comfortable position. "We both know that I'll be up and about in a few days."

"That's awfully reckless, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, like that's anything new," Conan snorted. "I've lost count of how many times you've lectured me for that, so let's skip that part and talk about what we really need to: me getting shot."

"Why do we need to talk about that?" she asked. "Other than your determination to get up and recklessly run around solving crimes before you're fully healed."

"Because my suspicions were pretty much confirmed tonight," Conan answered. "This inconspicuous group that often makes an appearance at the Kaitou Kid heists is part of the Black Organization."

"Are you sure?" There was a dangerous edge to her voice now, which Conan had expected to hear after revealing this information. In fact, he would have been more shocked if she had remained entirely calm.

"As sure as I can be without exact conclusive evidence," Conan replied. "Besides, how many criminal organizations do you know of that always wear the same black outfits, have managed to stay away from police radar for at least two decades, and is shock full of people who can kill hordes of humans without blinking an eye?"

"Only the one," she answered.

"Exactly," Conan said. "And why the hell are you being so quiet? Is this some new way of punishing me?"

"Maybe," was her normal, cryptic reply.

"Well, it's weird as hell," Conan groaned. "Especially with how much you usually shout at me. It's really annoying too."

"Hmmm?" was the whole of her response.

"Ugh," the shrunken detective groaned again. "Anyway, the real question is why they're after him. If they wanted to keep him from spilling the beans about their existence, they have more efficient means of trying to kill him like they did with me. And there's possibility that he betrayed the organization like you did. There's no way someone with his morals and ideal could stand to be a part of them for even a day, even if it was just in disguise to gather intelligence.

Since he's alive but they're still trying to kill him, I'm guessing he's both useful and a nuisance. The Black Organization probably wants whatever it is that annoying thief is looking for. So, he does the noticeable legwork, and they're waiting for him to find the right one. Then, they'll kill him and take it. But some of them are sure to dislike he poses by knowing who they are but not being one of them, and those people are the shooters."

"What makes you think he's looking for something, Conan-kun?" she asked.

"Really Haibara, this has got to stop," Conan almost shouted. "We've had that conversation on more than one occasion. Stop not talking, and just call me Kudo like you always do. You're driving me crazy with this acting like a…diff…er…ent…per…son…" His speech slowed down immensely as he spoke those last three words, and his eyes grew wide, starting to dart in panic trying to figure out to whom he was really talking.

A haze of white appeared out of nowhere in the darkness, and Conan suddently found himself face to face with Kaitou Kid. The thief, who was now semi-pinning the not-child to the bed so he couldn't get away, spoke once more in Ai Haibara's voice, "Tell me why I should call you Kudo, Tantei-kun."

A/N: Hey y'all. Welcome to the end of chapter 3 of Lost and Found. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry the updates are slow in coming, but I'm just so busy. Uh…I don't have much to say, except things start to pick up next chapter. Although, you could probably guess that from the cliffhanger ending, which I'm semi-famous for XD …I really do have an unhealthy love for cliffhangers.

Oh, also, like I've said before, I will be going to North America's biggest anime convention this year of 2012 (also known as Anime Expo), and I will be there from Day 0 – Day 4. So, if any of you readers wanted to, I don't know, meet me, that would be the place to do it. I have finally decided what to cosplay, so those details are posted on my profile so that you can actually find me there. Or you can PM me, that works to.

I'm just throwing it out there, because one of the things that inspires me most to keep writing is physically seeing the people who enjoy my writing. I met a few people there last year, and it was great.

And for the usual:

I love reviewers, but I do have a request. I would really love for someone to seriously critique my work. It doesn't have to stop at constructive criticism. I'd love for someone to really pick apart my work and tell me every little thing they hated, what needs to be improved, and what parts of my writing they liked best. Believe me when I say I love all reviews, and it's really nice to know people appreciate my work. However, I'm a far cry from being perfect, and there's always room to improve. Also, if I can get better, I can give better fan fiction to my readers. Anyway, thanks again for reading this fan fiction and hopefully you seriously considered my request.


	4. Chapter 4

Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito or any of the characters in either of those series. All rights reserved to Goshou Aoyama. The only thing I own is the plot of this fanfiction and any original characters that just might happen to worm their way in here.

Note: This is a slightly AU fanfiction in the fact that Kaito and Shinichi were best friends when they were younger. For more full details, read my fanfiction entitled Moving.

Chapter 4

Kaito felt bad as he watched panic and confusion flash in those horribly expressive blue eyes that belonged to Conan Edogawa, but he remained where he was. At the moment, the miniature detective might look like nothing more than a frightened child, but the thief knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Conan was no mere child. There was more to this boy than Kaito had ever imagined. And Kaito needed to unravel the mysteries surrounding this boy. He had a feeling that it would be the key to bringing his father's killers to justice.

As the minutes ticked by, the thief watched as Conan's expression calmed, obviously not afraid of what Kaitou Kid might do. Apparently, he didn't register as much of a threat in the boy's mind, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Kaito watched as those blue eyes turned thoughtful and then calculating, as if the detective were an adult weighing his options to decide what action would be most beneficial for him and not a child that was at the mercy of an internationally acclaimed criminal.

"I have a proposition for you," Conan finally said as he wiggled a bit in the thief's grasp. "But would you please let go of me first? This position is rather uncomfortable, and my shoulder is really starting to ache."

Guilt shot through Kaito as he instantly pulled his hand away from the boy's wounded shoulder. In his haste, he'd completely forgotten about the injury. However, he hesitated in releasing Conan entirely when he very well knew how reckless the boy could be. What was to stop him from trying to run away once Kaito let go?

"I'm not going to run away," Conan said breaking Kaito out of his trance as though he could read the thief's mind. "You already know enough to be dangerous for me, and even though I don't think you'd tell anyone, I'd rather have you as an ally than alienate you. So, would you please let me go?"

Slowly, Kaito released Conan from his hold, trying really hard not to be freaked out by how…old the young detective was acting. He wasn't succeeding very well as his was mind currently a gibbering mess, but his poker face was working quite nicely. As he watched the kid maneuver into a sitting position, the thief reached over to rearrange the pillows while asking, "And what is this proposition you have for me Tantei-kun?"

"Answers for answers," Conan replied. "A story for a story. I'll tell you about Shinichi Kudo and Conan Edogawa, and you'll tell me about Kaitou Kid. I'm not asking for your true identity, just information."

"What makes you think I would agree to such a proposal?" Kaito asked, suddenly very wary about where this conversation was going. Child though he may be, Conan was a dangerous opponent, especially now since he had taken off the 'I'm just another intelligent child' mask. "How would I benefit from such an exchange?"

"You came seeking answers," the detective replied with a smirk. "And I just told you how you might get them. I don't see you walking away from such an opportunity. Besides, I already know a lot more than you think I do."

"What's to stop me from agreeing and then just running off after you've given me what I want?" Kaito asked, knowing full well that he'd never go back on a bargain. But Conan didn't know that, and the thief was tired of feeling outplayed by a child, no matter how smart said child was.

"Because you're not that kind of person," Conan replied. Okay, so apparently, the miniature detective did know. A child should seriously be more suspicious of internationally wanted criminals. "You may be a lot of things Kaitou Kid, but a liar is not one of them. If you make a deal, you'll keep your end of it. Sad thing is, you have more honor and better morals than a lot of law enforcers I've met. You're a good person, Kaitou Kid, and I want you as an ally. As for what you might gain, someone who has survived multiple run-ins with the Black Organization, whose life goal is to bring them down. I think you could use someone like that as an ally."

"I don't know that I want Shinichi Kudo as an ally," Kaito said in a slightly harsh tone. He really had a bone to pick with his childhood friend. "Despite what you said before, your cousin should have never involved you in all this."

"Such a thing was never possible," Conan commented in a final tone. "So, do you agree to the exchange or not?"

Kaito fell silent after that, seriously considering his options as far as the exchange was concerned. Conan seemed absolutely certain that he would agree, but the phantom thief was not so sure. He knew having Shinichi as an ally would definitely be a major help in bringing down the Black Organization, but Kaito, unlike the high school detective, was not willing to put a child at risk to succeed in that endeavor.

After all, if Kaito gave Conan any answers, it would draw the child in even further. Not to mention, both the boy before him and the proffered ally were detectives. No doubt they had deduced with some accuracy a great deal of information already, but they obviously wanted more. And the more they had, the easier it would be for them to catch him. How much was Kaito willing to trust them?

After several minutes of contemplation, one factor pushed Kaito over the edge into his final decision. If he agreed to this deal and gained Shinichi as an ally, he could demand a face-to-face meeting with the high school detective. At said meeting, he would make Shinichi agree to stop involving Conan in this whole mess.

"Okay, I'll bite," Kaito replied looking back at the child who wasn't at all childlike and didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Answers for answers. A story for a story."

"My story starts two years ago, on a day that Shinichi Kudo went to Tropical Land with his childhood friend," Conan said as an invisible knife stabbed mercilessly at Kaito's heart. Those words were supposed to describe him, not the teenage girl currently on her karate club field trip. Guess he wasn't quite as unconcerned about his former childhood friend as he had thought. "It was your typical day at a theme park, including a ride on the rollercoaster. Except, when the rollercoaster stopped, one of the passengers was dead, his head cut clean off. Well, running into murder victims was business as usual for Shinichi-nii-chan, so he solved the case in a manner as expected by the famous high school detective."

Conan's tone was normally calm and serious, but those last four words were filled with the utmost contempt. Kaito was seriously starting to wonder why that was. If the miniature detective's story didn't offer a good explanation, his first question was going to ask for one. Although, he was starting to form several theories on that, related to the fact that the child had wanted to be called Kudo.

The most developed theory was that Conan was Shinichi's little brother rather than cousin. It would make sense. With his parents always traveling and himself in hiding from the Black Organization, Shinichi would want the boy with someone he trusted but also somewhere he could easily watch over him from afar. Plus, intelligence obviously ran in the family, and contact with the organization would mean Conan had to grow up far before his time. It didn't completely explain his intelligence, but the theory was a work in progress. As for the contempt, it was very easy for kids to get livid over the smallest things, and the intelligent, inquisitive mind that was housed in Conan's skull would not like being left in relative safety while his elder brother got to do the "exciting" things like chasing after criminals.

"During the case, Shinichi-nii-chan had taken special note of two of the suspects. They hadn't beheaded the man, but they had the cold, dangerous eyes of killers and were entirely dressed in black," Conan paused meaningfully at this point in his story, though it was hardly necessary. Kaito understood quite well the implications of what had been said. That was Shinichi Kudo's first encounter with the Black Organization.

"Well, they left after the murder was solved, but Shinichi had to stay behind to finish up with the police. So, he lost track of them. He spent the rest of the day with his childhood friend…" There it was again, the painful jab at his heart caused by those two seemingly innocent words.

"When they were leaving Tropical Land, Shinichi-nii-chan noticed one of the two off in a dark corner. So, he split up with his friend and naively went to eavesdrop. He was witnessing a blackmail session taking place, so he started taking pictures. But Shinichi-nii-chan forgot about the other one, and that was his downfall.

"The man snuck up and attacked Shinichi-nii-chan from behind, slammed a baseball bat into the back of his head. The other one came over because of the noise and was scolded, by the one who had attacked Shinichi-nii-chan, for his incompetence. Then, they had a lovely little conversation about the organization's newest drug: a poison that killed quickly and was untraceable in the human body. Of course, it was force fed Shinichi-nii-chan."

At this point, Kaito was seriously confused. If there was one thing the organization knew how to do, it was kill people. How had Shinichi survived? Oh sure, the thief knew an explanation was coming, but still. Even if the detective survived, the organization would check to make sure, especially after being discovered by someone that famous. Even if he'd changed his identity and was living in disguise, how had he managed to evade them for two years? They had spies everywhere. The only reason Kaito, himself, had managed it was that Snake was in charge of all Kaitou Kid-related matters, and the man wasn't very smart.

"They left Shinichi-nii-chan to die," Conan continued in his calm tone, interspersed with contempt every time he spoke the elder detective's name, making the thief think maybe his older brother theory didn't hold quite enough water. It all just added to Kaito's growing internal confusion…and his concern. How could the kid relate such a horrific story so calmly?

"He thought he was going to die too. As soon as he swallowed the pill, Shinichi-nii-chan felt like his whole body was on fire, and it just kept getting worse and worse until it was so unbearable that he passed out from the pain.

"Shinichi-nii-chan woke up a couple hours later, bloody and beaten but still breathing, still alive. And for better or worse, the pill had an unknown side effect. Instead of killing Shinichi-nii-chan, it de-aged him ten years, and thus, Conan Edogawa was born. You see, Kaitou Kid? I told you Shinichi-nii-chan didn't have a choice about involving me."

To fight the shock that threatened to consume it, Kaito's mind the everything else aside and focused only on how the story he had just heard explained a lot of the things about Conan that he had thought of as odd. Because his mind really wasn't ready to deal with the implications that came with the reality of his childhood friend once again being a child. So what if Kaito was searching for a magical gem that granted immortality and had witch for a classmate? This was weird.

So, anyway, a lot more about the miniature…de-aged(?)...shrunken(?) detective made sense now, like why he was so damn smart. Even for a teenager or adult for that matter, Shinichi Kudo had a very high intellect and extraordinarily well-developed detective skills. Give that brain the face of a child, and it was bound to stick out even when Conan tried to hide how smart he was.

There was also the matter of the pain and understanding that Kaito had observed in the not-child's eyes. Back when Shinichi Kudo had been an active part of police investigations, his arrogance, pride, and single-mindedness had rivaled Hakuba's. But something, probably many things, must have happened in the last two years to change Conan. The old Shinichi hadn't been a bad person (and as annoying as he was, neither was Hakuba), but that pain and understanding that was so clear in Conan's eyes had never even been glimpsed in Shinichi Kudo's.

And most of all, Kaito finally understood the detective's negative feelings toward his own name and reputation. How awful it must be to go from being a famous and adored detective to being perceived as nothing more than a brat that was always getting in the way at crime scenes, and he had to let all the credit for solved crimes go to that fool of a private investigator that Mouri was. Not to mention, the detective had been forced to live as Conan Edogawa for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for over two years. Living a double life was hard for Kaito, but at least, he still got to be himself. The thief was surprised the not-child hadn't gone completely bonkers yet.

"Here, take this," Conan said, bringing Kaito's brain crashing back into reality. The thief took hold of the paper, slightly surprised that he hadn't noticed the shrunken teen get off the bed to retrieve said paper and a pen. Taking a glace at what was written on it, he saw two number jotted down: one for Conan Edogawa and one for Shinichi Kudo.

"It will be easier for you to contact me if you have both numbers," Conan commented as though that would explain everything. "Just be careful about what you say or text, especially to Conan's number. Call me when you've gotten over the shock that Shinichi Kudo and Conan and Edogawa are the same person, and we'll meet again."

"But I still owe you answers," Kaito replied as his brain desperately tried to keep up with everything, including the fact that his rival-maybe turned-ally seemed to be much more prepared for this conversation than he had been. Of course, this really hadn't been what he'd expected when he told Conan they'd have a talk about the Black Organization. Sometimes, Kaito thought that teaching him to have a poker face was the best thing his father ever did for him. "And I have a lot more questions."

"Which will be answered at our next meeting," Conan said gently, making Kaito realize something. Despite his poker face, his silence of several minutes had been more telling than he'd thought, which more than made sense what with how Conan Edogawa was actually Shinichi Kudo. Kaito really needed to rewire his brain to recognize the not-child as a very, very serious threat. "Look, I know you're not at your best right now, and I understand. It took me some time to accept it, and I'm the one it happened to. You need to be at the top of your game for the rest of this conversation so you don't reveal something to me you don't mean to or really shouldn't. If there is one thing my time as Conan has taught me, it is the necessity of secrets. So, we'll leave this conversation for another day. Call me when you're ready, ok?"

"Okay," Kaito said as he stood up and readied his exit. "Good-bye Tantei-kun."

With that said, he dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared into the shadows, his sensitive ears barely picking up the whispered, "See you son, Kaitou Kid."

A few hours later, the thief was at home lying in bed but wide-awake. His mind was too full of the night's events to allow him sleep. So after several fruitless attempts at entering the land of dreams, Kaito decided to focus on thinking about the two things that worried him the most, two things that came with the reality that his former childhood friend was once again a child.

The first worry was how useful Conan could really be to him as an ally in the body of child. True though it may be that a child investigating would go largely unnoticed, as proven by Conan eluding the eyes of the Black Organization for two years, but there were serious limits to a child's body. Shinichi Kudo would be a much better link to the official law enforcement officers they would need to bring the Black Organization down, and that would require several face-to-face meetings that Kaito was sure Conan could not provide. And if Kaitou Kid came on as the much-needed informant he would be, the thief would not be able to disguise himself as Shinichi Kudo to attend those meetings. So, Conan's current body was a definite hindrance to their acquisition of the requisite allies.

His second worry was Conan's own mental health. Earlier, Kaito had been surprised that the detective hadn't gone crazy yet, and now, he was wondering if Conan already had and was just very good at hiding it. The thief knew his old friend had been living under the alias Conan Edogawa for two years, but he'd referred to himself in third person entirely too easily, both as Shinichi and as Conan. After two years of interaction with him as Conan and the night's interaction with him as Shinichi, Kaito wasn't sure if Conan was an entirely separate identity from Shinichi anymore. Because he couldn't tell when Shinichi ended and Conan began, and he had a sinking feeling that the detective couldn't tell either.

A/N: Hello and welcome to the end of Lost and Found chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for patiently waiting for my muses to get off their lazy bums and help me continue writing the story. As always, thank you ever so much to anyone who reviewed and look forward for more chapters of this and all my other Detective Conan fanfiction in the future.

I love reviewers, but I do have a request. I would really love for someone to seriously critique my work. It doesn't have to stop at constructive criticism. I'd love for someone to really pick apart my work and tell me every little thing they hated, what needs to be improved, and what parts of my writing they liked best. Believe me when I say I love all reviews, and it's really nice to know people appreciate my work. However, I'm a far cry from being perfect, and there's always room to improve. Also, if I can get better, I can give better fan fiction to my readers. Anyway, thanks again for reading this fan fiction and hopefully you seriously considered my request.


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